Running out of time
by misses-miscellaneous
Summary: The team has to find a group of overseas terrorists who want to destroy one of the US's allies. Eventual LaBrody. Some pointless fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, sorry I'm doing more torture. I hope you enjoy.**

Brody walked through the doors of ncis to meet LaSalle and Pride.

"Mornin Brody", LaSalle and Pride said in unison.

"Good morning", she said as she smiled warmly.

"Ya want some coffee?", LaSalle asked already knowing the answer. He picked up her mug and headed to the kitchen and poured her a glass full of her favorite blend.

"Mmm thanks LaSalle.", Brody said as she sipped her coffee.

"No problem Brody", he said as he went back to his desk.

"Breakfast!", Pride yelled from the kitchen "come and get it."

"Great, I'm starving", Brody said jumping up from her desk.

"You're always starving Miss Brody", LaSalle teased.

"Hey, not true", she said as she punched him in the shoulder.

"Oh it's on Brody", he said suppressing a laugh. He grabs her from behind and picks her up keeping her arms pinned to her sides.

"Put me down!", Brody said as she laughed.

"Not gonna happen." LaSalle said flashing one of his famous grins.

She quickly used one of her aikido moves and made him fall to the floor on his back with her landing on his stomach. He quickly flipped her over and stared at her only centimeters from her face. She felt a blush coming on but quickly made it go away.

"Are ya ready to give up yet", LaSalle said smirking, knowing he had the advantage.

"Hardly", she scoffed.

"Hey, get in here before I eat it all.", Pride said from the kitchen.

Brody and LaSalle looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. Then Chris jumped to his feet and offered a hand to help Brody up. She smiled and took his hand and stood up.

They ate their breakfast which consisted of eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes.

"Mm this is really good.", Brody said as she ate another huge spoonful of eggs.

LaSalle smiled at her and she kicked him from under the table. They finished their breakfast and washed the dishes.

"Stop the dishes and get in here!", Pride yelled from the office part of the building.

Brody and LaSalle exchanged concerned looks and stoped the dishes to go see what Pride wanted.

"Yeah King?"

"A group from overseas has been smuggling weapons from the US and taking them to their country. We got a hit on a man that's working with them. The next twenty-four hours is all we have left to solve this case before they set off the weapons to one of our allied countries. Let's go learn things."

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The trio arrived at an empty part of the loading docks. They got out of the car and ran to the abandoned shack he was supposedly hiding in.

"NCIS!",Brody said. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

With that the man took off through the doorway heading down the docks only a few feet away from the water. Brody ran after him with LaSalle and Pride close behind. Brody was gaining on him, her lungs burned from running so fast. She finally got about a foot away from him and jumped him. He flung her off. _Oh shit,_ She thought. _This man is twice my size._ She used all the aikido moves in the book but hardly any seemed to faze the man who looked to be made completely of muscle. She finally just punched him in the face. Then he kicked her in the stomach and she fell to the ground as she screamed in pain. He then picked up her small frame and threw her in the choppy water. At that Pride shot the man in the leg and he fell to the ground.

"Brody!", LaSalle yelled as he saw her go under. He saw her struggling to get back up for air due to the currents. LaSalle knew Brody wasn't a strong swimmer so he took of his shirt and jumped into the water. He didn't see his agent for a while and started to panic. He dove underwater and saw her struggling to get her foot free from a fishing net. She looked over at LaSalle with her brown eyes filled with fear. Then he dove down and took out his pocket knife and cut her foot free. He then grabbed her and pulled her to the surface of the water. She choked and gasped as she held tight to LaSalle. He swam over to a ladder and helped her climb up it.

"Thank..you...LaSalle", she said in between coughs. "You might want to look away, I think I'm going to be sick.", She told Pride and LaSalle. Then she got up and ran to the edge of the water and spilled her breakfast. She then composed herself and walked back to the two waiting agents.

"Hey, are you okay?", Pride asked.

"Ya got kicked pretty hard" LaSalle added.

"I'm fine, just bruised, that's all", Brody said.

"Let me take a look then.", LaSalle said lifting up the water soaked, thin fabric revealing a huge purple bruise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you like the next chapter. And thanks to ncisneworleanslover...hello sis. :)**

"Oh my God, Brody!", LaSalle said when he saw the bruise that covered the whole right side of her abdomen.

"It's nothing.", She said, quickly pulling down her shirt. She then walked over to the suspect and grabs him by the handcuffs and led him to the waiting cop car that will take him to NCIS.

 **22 hours left.**

They arrive at NCIS a few minutes later. Brody gets out of the car and groans as another pain rips through her stomach.

"Brody?", LaSalle said hearing her as he got out of the car.

"I'm...Just tired."

LaSalle and Pride exchanged skeptical looks. "Okay, once you two get inside you need to change out of those wet clothes. After that go interrogate the suspect."

"Okay.", LaSalle and Brody said in unison.

Brody and LaSalle walked into their locker rooms and started changing into dry clothes. Brody stood in front of the mirror after getting her pants on and took off her shirt. She gasped when she saw the bruise that was now halfway across her stomach. Brody then quickly put on her dry shirt and walked out to meet LaSalle and Pride.

"Ready to go interrogate?, Pride asked his two junior agents.

"Yep.", they said in unison.

They then walked up the steps and walked into the interrogation room.

"Where are they taking the weapons?", LaSalle commanded.

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"You're right, you don't _have_ to. But you're going to.",LaSalle shot back.

The man just laughed and leaned back in his seat.

"Tell us where they're taking them.", Brody yelled before she quickly stood up from her seat. As she stood up another pain shot through her abdomen and she doubled over as she cried out in pain. She took a few breaths to calm herself and walked over to the man and got inches away from his face.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, where are the weapons.",Brody asked the man that almost looked afraid of her.

After a few more minutes of interrogation, the man finally cracked and told them.

"Take him away." Brody said to the cop waiting outside the door. LaSalle followed her out. "What happened in there Brody?", LaSalle asked.

"Nothing.", Brody said, walking down the stairs.

 **21 hours left**

"Okay guys." Pride said as he walked up to Brody and LaSalle "Loretta is fixing us lunch so we can keep working."

"Alright, King" LaSalle said as they all walked toward the office.

A few moments later Loretta walked in with 3 plates of food and 3 cups of coffee.

"Thanks Loretta.", Pride, LaSalle and Brody said.

"Don't mention it, are you having any luck on the case?"

"Not much.", Pride said as he sighed.

"You'll get em, you always do. Eat up!", Loretta said as she walked back in the kitchen.

Brody finished her lunch and took her plate and cup in the kitchen. She put her plate in a the sink and refilled her coffee mug. Thinking she was alone she leaned against the counter and closed her eyes. She was startled by Loretta who was standing in the door way.

"Merri?"

"Oh, Loretta, hello.", Brody offered a weak smile.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes I'm fine. I actually should be getting back to work.", Brody said heading towards the door.

Loretta caught her by the arm. "Merri, what happened today? You don't seem quite yourself."

"Oh, I just got into a little fight today. That's all."

"Did you get hurt?"

"No, I just got kicked and thrown in the water."

"Do you mind if I take a look then?",Loretta asked.

"Um...No.", Brody said, regretting she came in the kitchen.

Brody pulled up her shirt revealing the bruise that stretched even farther than before.

Loretta's eyes widened when she saw it. "Oh Merri, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine.", She said as she headed back to her desk.

 **20 hours left.**

Brody sat down at her desk and got back to work. They were getting closer, but not close enough. Suddenly her hand flew over her mouth as she tried to fight off a wave of nausea. She then jumped up from her seat and ran to the bathroom. She then bent over the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach.

Meanwhile Loretta called Pride and LaSalle into the kitchen.

"Yeah Loretta?", Pride asked.

"What exactly happened at the docks with Brody?"

"Well, she chased him down and jumped on him. She punched him in the face and he got angry and kicked her in the stomach and then he picked her up and threw her in the water. I jumped in after her and cut her foot out of the fish net that was holding her under. After she caught her breath she ran over and threw up. That's about it.", LaSalle said. "Why do you ask?"

"She doesn't seem quite herself. I think there may be a little more pain than she's letting on.", Loretta sighed. "I've seen people try to hide it before and she's definitely i trying."

"Well, she tries to act tougher than she is. It doesn't seem that unusual.", Pride said, scratching his head.

"Just keep an eye on her. I'm not sure but she may be bleeding internally.", Loretta said as Brody walked up to the little group in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for the reviews and a special thanks to my sister fir helping me on this. Help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Enjoy :)**

"What's going on?", a very pale looking agent Brody asked the small group that formed in the kitchen.

"Umm...nothing.",LaSalle said trying to act casual.

Brody knew that something was up but she didn't know what. She gave them one last questioning look then walked back to her desk and started to work again.

"Pride!", Brody screamed from the other room. "I found where they are. It's a small building in the middle of a desert overseas. Maybe 100 miles from civilization.", Brody explained to Pride and LaSalle.

"Pack your bags. We're leaving in 20 minutes.", Pride said.

Brody and LaSalle headed off to the locker rooms to grab their bags. They walked out after a few minutes of getting ready and waited for Pride.

"So Brody, are you sure you're okay to work?", LaSalle asked looking her in the eye.

"Of course. Why do you ask."

"Maybe the fact that you threw up less than an hour ago. And you're still pale. I know you're hiding something." LaSalle said.

"It's called stress LaSalle . I'm fine. Really." Brody said, trying to convince LaSalle.

"Okay whatever you say." LaSalle said rolling his eyes.

Brody nudged him after seeing him roll his eyes. He then playfully nudged her back. Forgetting her injury she pressed him up against the wall. "I think we need to finish what we started this morning."

He then walked forward, pushung her backwards. She accidentally tripped on the rug behind her and fell with LaSalle landing on top of her. She gasped and wrapped her hands around her stomach. "You win, you win!", She said trying not to cry out in pain.

"Didn't think you'd give up so early Miss Brody.", LaSalle said laughing. He stood up and offered a hand to Brody. She took it and forced a laugh.

"Time to go.", Pride said while walking up to his junior agents. They picked up their bags and put them in the car.

"Takes six hours to get there in a helicopter. Then we have to work as fast as we can to take them down and gain control of the weapons.", Pride said.

He turned on the car and sped to their waiting helicopter. Once they got to their helicopter they rushed inside. Brody wasn't sure if this was a good idea. She felt that she was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. But her team needed her. She nervously looked around the helicopter it had a two bench seats on each side and open doors for jumping out on each side of the helicopter. She felt her eyes getting heavy and she hasn't slept in hours. She fell asleep to the hum of the engine.

"Aww, look at Brody. She's sleeping.", LaSalle said to Pride .

"Well, don't wake her. She needs her sleep."

 **18 hours left**

Brody moved in her sleep causing LaSalle and Pride to look at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she softly whimpered in her sleep.

"Is she okay?", LaSalle asked Pride.

"She might be having a bad dream."

"I'll wake her.",LaSalle said leaning over and shaking her shoulder. "Brody, Brody, wake up. You're dreaming."

She slowly opened her eyes and sleepily said, "Are we there?", now becoming more alert.

"No not yet.", Pride said.

"Then why'd you wake me up LaSalle?",Brody whined.

"You looked like you were having a bad dream.", LaSalle said.

"Oh, well thanks.", Brody said.

"Come on guys time to stretch. We need to keep ourselves ready to fight.", Pride said as he stood up and stretched.

Brody stood up and another wave of nausea swept over her, her head was spinning and she was shaking. She put one hand on the wall to steady her.

LaSalle noticed what she was doing and put his hand on her back.

"Brody are you okay? Why don't you sit down.", LaSalle said guiding her to sit next to him. He put his hand on her knee and looked her in the eye. "Why don't you tell us what's wrong. We know it's somethin so don't go all "it's nothin" on us", LaSalle said.

She took a deep breath. "My stomach hurts really bad. It hasn't really stopped since the fight this morning. Whenever I eat I end up throwing up. And I feel kinda weak."

"Do you mind if we take a look at your stomach again?", Pride asked Brody.

Brody nodded and lifted up her shirt just enough to see her bruise that covered mostly all her stomach.

"Is this what Loretta was talking about?", LaSalle asked Pride.

"Who..wait...What did she say?", Brody asked with panic starting to build in her voice.

"Loretta says you might be bleeding internally."

To be continued...

 **Sorry I left you with this. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews. I hope you like it. :)**

"W-what?", Brody said with fear and confusion in her voice.

"We're not sure Brody. No reason to panic yet.", LaSalle said trying to comfort her.

"But it still might be a good idea if you stay in the helicopter Brody. We don't want you getting any more hurt than you already are."

"No, I'm coming with you. The team needs me...", She said barely above a whisper.

"No, that's final Brody.", Pride said.

Brody sat back in her seat and took deep breaths. She needed to help her team.

* * *

Pride was dropped off to talk to the country's crime investigators an LaSalle and Brody was flown over to the building in the middle of the desert.

"Okay, I'm going in. Stay here", LaSalle said.

Before Brody could answer he hopped out of the helicopter and rushed inside. A few minutes later she heard some struggling from inside. "LaSalle!?", Brody screamed. She hopped out of the helicopter and slowly made her way to the door. She opened the door to find LaSalle with a gun pointed to his head.

"I told you to stay.", LaSalle said. "Get out of here while you can. Go!", LaSalle yelled.

"Oh that's not gonna happen.", a man said walking up behind Brody and putting handcuffs on her. Brody looked at LaSalle with fear in her eyes.

"It's alright Brody.", LaSalle said.

The two men guided them out the door into the desert and marched them for what seemed like forever. "I can't go any farther LaSalle.", Brody said looking pale and breathless. She then collapsed on the burning hot sand. The man kicked her in the head and screamed something in a language that she couldn't understand. LaSalle punched the man in the face. As he did he felt the cool barrel of the gun press harder against his head.

"I suggest you keep walking unless you want your brains blown all over the sand.",the man said shoving LaSalle forward. The man in charge of Brody pulled her up by the handcuffs and she screamed in pain.

"We're almost there beautiful, then you can rest all you want in the 4 by 4 by 6 foot cell underground.", the man said snickering.

About a half a mile ahead she saw the cell.

"Here we are, home sweet home.", the man in charge of LaSalle said as he pushed him into the cell. He dropped 6 feet down to the dirt floor and grunted when his body impacted the ground. The man in charge of Brody threw her in and she landed on top of LaSalle.

The two men then dropped a half full bottle of water and a slice of bread down to them and dropped the heavy steel gate on top of the opening and locked it. Brody crawled over to the corner and sat there with her legs pulled up to her chest.

"Here you need to drink something.", LaSalle said raising the bottle to her lips.

"No.", She said turning away from it. Brody felt tears stinging in her eyes and they fell down her cheeks as she started to cry hysterically.

"Hey, hey, shhh. Calm down. It's okay. Why are you crying?",LaSalle asked crawling next to her and rubbing her back.

"I'm... sorry... LaSalle.", Brody said in between sobs.

"What for? You have nothin to be sorry about."

"I should've listened to you and Pride...but I heard you struggling in there and I had to see if you were alright."

"Oh no, it's okay. I would've done the same thing.", LaSalle said hugging the agent who was still crying. LaSalle stood up and walked over to where the piece of bread was sitting. He picked it up and walked back over to Brody and sat down beside her.

"Here, you have to eat something.", LaSalle said ripping the bread in half and giving half to Brody. Brody and LaSalle ate it in silence. She clutched her stomach causing LaSalle to look at her.

"Hey, are ya alright?", He asked already knowing the answer.

"I think I'm gonna be...", She jumped up and ran to the other side. She doubled over and threw up for the third time that day. LaSalle jumped up and followed her over and rubbed his hand on her back. She collapsed on her knees, she was completely exhausted from everything that happened that day. LaSalle guided her back to the corner and let her rest her head on his shoulder. A few moments later she was fast asleep. He yawned and fell asleep to the sound of her breathing.

Brody woke up, she didn't know how long she had been sleeping but she felt that something wasn't right. LaSalle woke up a few minutes later and saw her staring blankly at the wall. She started to cough and her hand flew up to her mouth covering her cough. LaSalle looked at her concerned but that turned to absolute fear when he saw her pull her hand away from her mouth. The palm of her hand was splattered with a good amount of bright red blood.

"LaSalle...I think I'm dying.", Brody said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews. Sorry it took me so long to update,I had surgery and was tired. Again, help or suggestions with this story would be nice. Thanks for reading. Enjoy:)**

"No!, don't talk like that. You're gonna be just fine. Just relax. Take deep breaths.",LaSalle said trying not to show that he was panicking too.

Brody leaned her head against the dirt wall and and closed her eyes that were now filling with tears. Suddenly a familiar pain ripped across her stomach and she cried out in pain as her nails dug into the dirt floor.

LaSalle crawled over and sat beside her. She felt his arm drape over her shoulder and she let her head rest on his chest. He felt her shaking and held her closer. Suddenly she started to choke and gasp. She pulled away from LaSalle and raised her hand to her mouth. She gagged on the blood that was filling her mouth and she spit it out on the ground beside her. She started crying and backed up into LaSalle's arms. He turned her around so she was facing him.

"LaSalle. I-I'm. I don't want...to die." Brody said, becoming hysterical.

"Brody, do you trust me?",LaSalle asked staring into her tear filled eyes.

Brody nodded in response.

"I need to drain the blood that's around your stomach."

"Okay.",Brody said as she put her hand on LaSalle's shoulder and leaned over coughing. Lasalle helped her lay down flat on her back. He raised her shirt and pulled out a pocket knife. Brody stared at it with wide eyes and quickly turned away and faced the wall.

"Brody, look at me.",LaSalle said.

She turned her head towards him and looked deep into his blue eyes. He grabbed her hand and took the knife in the other hand. He pressed the blade against her purple skin and started to cut an incision. Blood pooled on her stomach and dripped on the dirt floor. He saw pain fill her brown eyes and felt a tremendous amount of guilt. After all, he was causing it. He carefully sliced her stomach and she took a sharp breath.

"Are ya doing okay?",LaSalle asked.

"...hurts.",Brody said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Brody.",LaSalle said reaching inside his jacked for something. He pulled out a straw and she gave him a _what the hell_ look.

"Hey, ya always gotta carry an extra straw just in case King brings in milkshakes from Chubby's Chicken.",LaSalle said trying to use his southern charm to comfort her.

Brody let out a pathetic attempt of a laugh and looked at him. LaSalle then took the straw and put it in the incision. After it was in, the blood quickly traveled through the straw and pooled at her side. LaSalle noticed that Brody's breathing was improving.

"Are ya doing okay?" LaSalle asked Brody, who now had her eyes closed.

"Yeah. I think so." Brody said, her voice quivering, as she took deep breaths.

"Good, good. Now relax. I'm going to take the straw out now. Okay?"

"Okay." Brody said as she looked down at her aching stomach, which now was a lighter shade of purple. LaSalle slowly removed the straw. She took in another sharp breath.

"Just take deep breaths Brody, try to relax.",LaSalle said as he laid the straw on the ground beside him.

"Now keep your hand on that Brody and it'll all be alright.",LaSalle said as he helped her sit up against the wall.

"Thank you LaSalle.", Brody said looking in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey, no need to thank me.", LaSalle said, pulling his partner closer. He didn't know if he'd get away with it now that she wasn't hysterical. But to his surprise, she didn't resist.

"We need to get out of here, LaSalle.",Brody said. "Who knows when they'll get back and what they'll do to us."

"We will.",LaSalle said as he glanced around the room looking for an escape.

She leaned her head against the wall. Ignoring the pain that was in her stomach, she stood up and reached for the gate above her head. It was only about a foot away from her grasp. She jumped up and tried to grab onto it but as soon as her feet hit the ground again she started to feel clammy and light headed. She swayed a little and fought the urge to close her eyes and collapse on the floor. LaSalle noticed and quickly stood up and held on to her swaying body.

"Ya need to sit down Merri.", LaSalle said. He noticed that the bloodstain on her shirt was getting significantly bigger. "LaSalle...I...I",she was cut off by LaSalle. "You are losing a lot of blood, you need to sit down."

"I'm fine LaSalle.", Brody said as she stepped out of LaSalle's hold and reached up for the gate again. She then felt a shiver go down her spine and her lips started trembling. She held on to her arms which now had goose bumps on them. She could no longer fight the urge to close her eyes. As she finally let her eyes close she collapsed on the floor, leaving Chris in a panic.

 **Sorry I did this to you again. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I keep ending the chapters this way. I hope you enjoy. I'm not sure if I should keep this story going or not so reviews would be very helpful. Thanks for reading. :)**

 **"** Brody! Brody! Oh no Brody!", LaSalle said as he sank to his knees beside her. "Wake up, please wake up! Oh God Merri, please wake up.", He said, not caring about how desperate he was sounding. No one was out there, no one to save his agent who could quite possibly die in the next few hours. _Come on King, a rescue right about now would be nice._ LaSalle thought as he laid his ear on Brody's chest. He heard a faint and weak heartbeat. LaSalle let out a cry of frustration and jumped up to try and reach the gate. He jumped up and his fingers just grazed the bars above. He tried and tried again. But he was only making himself more exhausted than he already was. He finally gave up all hope and sank down on the floor and sat next to Brody's body. He ran his fingers through her hair and laughed. _She'd kill me if she found out I was doing this._ He ran his fingers across her freezing cold hand. "Oh Brody. You're freezing.", LaSalle said to the unconscious agent. He pulled her onto his lap and held her in his arms, losing all track of time, because at this point, who really cared?

 **6 hours left**

They both woke up to the piercing sound of bombs exploding and hitting the ground.

"LaSalle, what's happening?!", Brody screamed.

"Looks like King found their stash of weapons. They needed to be detonated just in case they were tampered with.",LaSalle said holding Brody tighter.

"Don't they know we're out here?", Brody said as the ringing finally stopped and all that was left was a faint crackling of a fire.

"Well, apparently not. It's supposed to be abandoned out here.", LaSalle said.

Another bomb went off and Brody took in a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes shut. _Stop being so damn weak! You're acting like a child!_ Brody said silently to herself.

"It's okay Merri. It's gonna be okay."LaSalle yelled. He was relieved that she had woken up. She shivered and he felt her cold arm.

"Are ya cold?"

"...a little.",Brody said hesitantly.

"A little? You're like ice!", LaSalle said. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a hopeless attempt to warm her.

"Uh...Brody. We need to get out of here. Now.", LaSalle said as smoke started to fill the room.

Brody's tired eyes filled with a mix of fear and panic when she saw the thick dark clouds of smoke pouring through the gate above. She pulled her aching body out of LaSalle' s arms and stood against the wall for support until LaSalle got up.

"Okay Brody. Do you think you're strong enough to move the gate over. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just enough to get out."

"I think so...Yes", Brody said as she took in a deep breath and tried to prepare for moving the heavy gate.

They slowly walked over. And they both started to cough and gasp when they got closer to where the gate was.

"Now Brody, I'm gonna lift ya on my shoulders. Just try to move the gate over just enough to climb out."LaSalle said.

LaSalle put his hands around her stomach and tried to give her a boost. She cried out in pain and bit her lip to silence herself when he put pressure on her sore, bleeding abdomen.

"Aw, I'm sorry Brody...", He was cut off by the agent who was doubled over holding her stomach.

"No, let's try again.", She walked back over to LaSalle. He placed his hands on her stomach and picked her up. He sat her on his shoulders and she sat there for a few moments, recovering from the pain. He heard her cursing under her breath as she held one hand in her stomach.

She then raised her shaking hands up to the bars. She grabbed a hold of them and hissed when her palms touched the burning hot gate.

"Are ya okay up there Brody?", LaSalle asked the agent who was on his shoulders. He had to admit, it wouldn't be half bad if they weren't in a life threatening situation.

"Ahh, I'm fine.", Brody said with her jaw clenched.

"Okay, just checkin.", LaSalle said in his usual cheery tone as he tapped his fingers along her shins.

Brody tried to move the gate but it wouldn't budge.

"Uhh, it's...not...working LaSalle!", Brody said with obvious defeat in her voice.

"Don't give up now, we're this close. You're the toughest woman I know. It's not very often that I get partnered up with a kickass agent who's a black belt in aikido. Look, I know you've been through a lot. But I know you can do whatever you put you're mind to..."

Brody summoned up all her strength and moved the gate about a foot. She then lost her balance and fell hard on the floor. LaSalle heard a thunk when the female agent hit the ground. By the time he turned around, she was already on her knees. She was holding her head with her teeth clenched.

"Are ha hurt?", He asked offering a hand to help her up.

"No, I'm fine.", She said, taking his hand and letting him help her up. Her head was spinning and she felt incredibly weak. But she made her way over to the wall and tried to pull herself up.

"Here, let me help ya!", LaSalle said as he picked her up and helped her scale the wall. She then turned around and offered a hand down to LaSalle. He climbed out and they both were shocked when they saw the red sky filled with smoke...they were surrounded by small fires with no clue where they were.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you** **all my faithful readers. You guys are the best! I mean it! I don't know how much longer this story will be. If you have any ideas please, please, please, share them with me! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the reviews! :)**

"LaSalle!", Brody gasped.

"It's alright Brody, don't worry. I'll get us outta here.",LaSalle said with his hand on her shoulder, staring into her eyes.

They started to walk through the place that looked more like a battle field than a desert.

"Here,ya gotta drink something. I took it from the cell.", LaSalle said, offering Brody the bottle of warm water.

Her stomach churned at the thought of putting anything in it. She knew if she didn't drink she would get more weak and dehydrated than she already was.

"Thanks Chris.", Brody said as she raised the bottle up to her cracked and dry lips. She took a small sip and handed it back to LaSalle.

"That's all you're drinking?", LaSalle asked her.

"Yes, I'm...not thirsty.", Brody said, offering a weak smile.

"Well okay th-owww! Damnit!", LaSalle screamed. He dropped to his knees and hit his pants with his palm until the fire that caught on his pant leg went out.

Brody gasped and covered her hand over her mouth in horror. "LaSalle! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?", Brody asked.

"Oh ya, I'm good.",LaSalle said, giving her a pained smile.

"Are you sure? Let me see.", Brody said, feeling strangely protective over him.

LaSalle pulled up his pant leg and showed her the burn that thankfully didn't look that bad for a burn.

"You need to get that checked out when we get back to the US.", Brody said.

"Yes ma'am.", LaSalle said. He playfully saluted her and felt an incredible amount of joy when he saw her smile.

"Okay, time to go.", LaSalle said. They both stumbled through the desert.

With each step her legs were feeling heavier and heavier. The pain in her abdomen was almost too much to bear. But she held it together for the agent standing beside her.

Lasalle's leg still felt like it was on fire. Each step he took only made it worse. But he vowed to hold it together and stay calm for the sake of the fragile agent beside him.

 ** _4 hours left_**

 _You've only been walking for a little over an hour. What is wrong with you? Haven't you trained for situations like this. Oww this hurts, couldn't something a little less dramatic of happened. Oh what I wouldn't do for some pain medication and a nice warm bed._ Brody thought as she trudged through the burning sand next to Chris.

He knew she was thinking about something. Perhaps the pain? Maybe about how to find a way out? No, it is definitely the pain. He saw her facial features tighten into a pained expression. No one else would've need able to see the slight change except him. Maybe it's the special bond between partners...or something else.

"Are ya doing okay...Brody?...Merri?!", LaSalle said growing concerned when she didn't answer.

"Oh, sorry LaSalle. Um yeah, I'm okay.", Brody said, realizing that she needed to hide her pain better.

They walked through the desert side by side in silence. All you could hear was the crackling of the fires that had grown bigger. Brody walked along, taking all of the sights around her in. Sand and fire, sand and fire. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a barely audible click. LaSalle must of heard it too. They both looked down to see a hand grenade by her foot. She must of kicked it when she was walking. They both stared at each other in horror, unable to move.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, hello again. I hope you like it. Thank you for reading. Enjoy :)**

Their faces paled as they stood there for a few seconds trying to realize what was happening. LaSalle was first to act, he grabbed Brody's hand and pulled her. Running as fast as she was able to go. They were almost completely out of the bombs radias when it went off, throwing them a few feet in the air. They screamed and then hit the ground, knocking them both out on impact.

Brody was first to wake up. She looked around searching for LaSalle, she finally located his body. He was lying there lifeless.

 _No no no no no no!_ Brody thought, expecting the worst. "LaSalle...wake up" Brody pkeaded. After a few more moments of silence she burried her face in her hands and started crying.

LaSalle woke up to the sound of a woman crying. His body tensed when he realized who it was. He wondered if she was okay. He raised up his aching body and opened his eyes. He found her as curled up as her stomach would let her. She had her face buried in her dirty blood stained hands. LaSalle crawled over to her and put his arms around her.

"It's okay, I'm here. Don't cry, please don't cry.", LaSalle begged as he felt her body tense and then relax.

"I...I...I...I thought you were dead, it would of been all my...my...my fault", Brody said trying to control herself.

His heart ached as he watched the broken agent trying to compose herself on the ground. This side of her was new to him. But somehow it was comforting to know that there was this side of her.

"We better get moving if we want to make it home before night.", LaSalle said as he hopped up. He offered a hand down to Brody. She took it, LaSalle could tell that the pain was now even worse since they were thrown. He took her forearm and put his other hand under her shoulder and gently helped her stand.

Merri stood for a moment to try to regain the little strength she had left. When she started to walk again, she stumbled, almost falling on her face. LaSalle immediately put his arm under her shoulder to support her and slowly walked by her side.

Suddenly the wind picked up and they heard some sort of buzzing noise from up above. They both shielded their eyes from the flying sand and slowly peeked through their fingers to find a helicopter flying above that had the familiar NCIS logo on it.

"LaSalle!They found us! Oh, they found us!", Brody screamed in excitement.

"See, I told ya that we'd make it outta here.", LaSalle said as a huge smile spread across his face.

The helicopter was descending and LaSalle wrapped his arms around Brody, trying to shield her from the flying sand. The engine finally stopped and the blades finished spinning. When LaSalle thought it was safe, he let go of Brody and they both turned around to find their senior agent Pride staring at them, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey fellas.", Pride said sarcastically.

They both ran to Pride and hugged him, letting go of all the fears they had that day.

Once they were done hugging, they climbed inside the helicopter to find Loretta.

"Hey Loretta, what are ya doing here?", LaSalle asked.

"I came to help with the search party for you two.", Loretta said, smiling warmly at them.

"Thanks Loretta.", Brody said.

They all sat down and waited for the helicopter to get in the air before they started talking.

"So, what happened guys?", Pride asked.

"Well, we kinda got ambushed by a few terrorists, marched out through a desert, then thrown in a pit. Only to escape with our lives as the pit was filling with smoke.", LaSalle said.

"And how are you doing Merri?", Loretta asked, growing concerned at how pale she was.

"I'm...I've been better.", Merri said, knowing that she couldn't lie to Loretta.

"Aww, come here.", Loretta said as she put out her arms, welcoming Merri for a hug.

She slowly leaned over, wincing as she did so.

Loretta stopped her, and looked in her eyes that were on the brink of tears.

"How bad does your stomach hurt Merri?", Loretta asked, gaining attention from the boys.

"Uhh pretty bad.", Brody said, not liking that she had to admit it in front of every one.

"Do you mind if I see it.", Loretta asked.

They all looked as she lifted the blood-soaked shirt up from her purple and swollen abdomen.

"Oh my.", was all Loretta could say as she starred in awe at her dear friend.

"Hey, who did the handiwork on that?"Pride asked, pointing to the cut on her stomach.

"Oh, uh, LaSalle.", Brody said.

"Well, we'll talk about this later. You two must be exhausted. Get a few hours rest and we'll talk when you wake up.", Pride said.

LaSalle leaned against the side of the helicopter and put his arm around Brody motioning for her to lean on him. She slowly leaned over and laid against him. Within a few minutes they were both asleep. Leaving a concerned Loretta to talk about Brody's condition.


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope you guys aren't getting bored with this story. I'm trying to make this story better. I don't know if I'll need a few more chapters to finish it up. Thanks for reading and enjoy :)**

They both laid fast asleep, LaSalle against the side and Brody leaning against LaSalle. Loretta and Pride watched the slow rise and fall of their chests before they started talking.

"She's not lookin good, is she Loretta?",Pride asked in a low hushed tone.

"I'm afraid not, Dwayne. About 6 more hours until we get home, and I honestly don't know is she'll make it that long.", Loretta said sadly.

"Isn't there anything we can do?", Pride asked desperately.

"The only thing that could possibly save her right now would most likely be surgery."Loretta said. "And a few pints of blood.", She said as she observed the steady flow of blood coming out of her stomach.

The plane started to shake and it woke LaSalle up from his nap. His eyes were wide as he wondered what was happening.

"It's okay Chris. Just a little turbulence."Loretta whispered.

LaSalle didn't move, he didn't want to wake up the female agent who was sleeping peacefully beside him.

"So LaSalle, now that you're awake, what really happened in that pit? Pride asked.

"You mean...with Brody?", LaSalle asked, glancing over at her.

"Yeah, with Brody."

"After we were thrown in she wasn't really acting like herself. She started crying cause she thought it was all her fault that we were in there. I gave her some bread and not long after that she threw up. After that she fell asleep. Then she woke up slightly confused. She started coughing up some blood and then she panicked. Then I well...I um...had to help her cause she was choking on her blood. So...I had to cut her open. Then she fell asleep again. When she woke up she was determined to get us outta there and she stood up and tried to reach the gate despite my best effort to stop her. I tried to make her sit down cause she was bleeding pretty bad but before I could get her to, she passed out. After that, we got out and we were walking through the desert and she accidentally kicked a hand grenade. We tried to run away but we were too late and it threw us quite a ways." LaSalle said.

"And then we found you.",Pride said, as he nervously looked at Brody who was moving around in her sleep.

 _Merri walked out of her house. The warm rays of sunshine bathed her face._

 _"Emily? Emily? Come on I can't find you! Let's play another game.", Merri whined._

 _Suddenly a small girl with pigtails ran out from behind the bushes._

 _"Aww Merri! We we're supposed to wear that dress tomorrow for our birthday. You know turning 8 is special. Mommy's going to be so mad at you." Emily said as she tried to wipe the mud off from the cream colored dress._

 _All of a sudden blinding white lights came from the other side of the yard. Merri looked over at Emily who was now in her twenties, wearing a beautiful white gown. She looked absolutely beautiful, like an angel with her long brown hair draped over her shoulders._

 _Merri looked down at the clothes she was wearing. She was now an adult. Her blood soaked shirt was stuck to her stomach and her short brown hair was messed up. She looked at her sister confused._

 _"Emily? What's happening?", Brody asked her sister who was stretching her arm towards Merri._

 _"It's time to go home now Merri. We've been expecting you.", Emily said with tears of joy in her eyes. She was leading her into the light. She was almost there. Almost. Suddenly she was ripped away._

 _"EMILY! No, Emily!", She sobbed as she was being pulled back into a world of pain._

* * *

LaSalle felt Brody trembling against him. He felt something wet coming from where her face was buried against his side.

Loretta and Pride watched the visibly shaking agent with fear and concern in their eyes.

"I think she's crying.", LaSalle whispered to Loretta and Pride.

"Maybe you should wake her up.", Loretta whispered.

"Brody, come on Brody wake up. Brody?", LaSalle said as he gently shook his partner.

Brody woke up and looked around the plane. She felt a hot stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. The sight of the plane only made her cry more.

"Hey, come on. You're safe.", LaSalle soothed.

"What's wrong Merri?", Loretta asked.

"I...I...wanna go home.", The female agent said trying not to let herself lose control completely. "I wanna go with Emily, she said we could go home", Merri said finally letting herself go. She burried her face in her hands and cried, her whole body shook, unable to stop the tears.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm so happy that so many people are reading this! Well, once again, enjoy reading. I hope you like it :) Again, I would love it if you would comment.**

They all stared at each other, not quite knowing what to say. While Brody sat there crying.

"I...I...I...I..want to see Emily. We were almost home.", Brody sobbed.

Loretta was the first to speak. "What...do you mean Meredith?"

"Emily said it was time to go home. I wanted to go with her.", She explained with tears still rolling down her face. "I was walking with- ahh!", Merri was telling her when she grabbed her stomach and cried out as an agonizing wave of pain pierced her abdomen.

"Take it easy Brody. Don't get yourself all worked up.", LaSalle said as he rubbed her shoulder and back. She took in a few shaky breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"What do you mean 'home'?" Pride asked, growing concerned about her definition of 'home'.

"I- I don't know" she stated calmly, tears gathering in her eyes again.

"Was you going to New Orleans or your home in Michigan or where?", Pride asked.

"Uhh neither...I think she meant home with her in heaven. She was leading me up to the light...but LaSalle...he woke me up.", Brody said shaking and breathing heavy.

Pride and LaSalle looked at each other, hardly believing what they just heard. They were both pulled from their stares when the female agent started to shiver. She was rubbing her arms up and down trying to get warm.

"Are ya cold? It's like 90 degrees in here.", Pride asked.

She nodded her head in response. LaSalle and Pride quickly shed their light jackets and put them around the freezing agent.

"Check and see if she has a fever.", Loretta told LaSalle.

LaSalle put the back of his hand on Brody's forehead and confirmed Loretta's suspicion. She was running a fever and a high one at that.

"Yep, she's running a fever alright.", LaSalle said.

"Uh Merri, why don't you go back to sleep. Try to get rid of that fever.", Loretta said warmly.

Merri slowly laid down on the bench-like seat and fell asleep.

Once they knew she was asleep, they started talking again.

"I think she has an infection. That might be the reason she's running a fever.", Loretta explained.

"It's my fault isn't it? The infection is from the cut.", LaSalle said leaning his head back and closing his eyes in total disgust with himself.

"Now Christopher, you did what had to be done. If you wouldn't of, she probably would've died a couple hours ago.", Pride said.

"We better see how high her fever actually is. I think there's a first aid kit above you, LaSalle. See if there's a thermometer in it." Loretta said.

LaSalle looked up and saw the small white box. He took it down and sat it on his lap to look through the contents. He found a what he was looking for and put the rest of the kit back where it belongs. He gently stuck the thermometer in her mouth and waited for the results.

"104.0...she's burnin' up.", LaSalle said.

 _Brody woke up in a confused daze. She felt funny but the odd thing was that she didn't feel any pain. Everyone looking at her but she didn't understand why._

 _"Where's Emily? She said she'd be here at seven to pick me up. We're going out for our Birthday.", Merri said, smiling._

"She's hallucinating, don't let her get up. She needs to stay down!", a female's voice boomed.

 _Her eyes were fluttering and she was covered in a thin layer of sweat. "Oh, here she comes now, down the highway. Watch out Emily! Watch out!"She cried out loud for the whole helicopter to hear. Emily's small car was hit and blood smeared against the window. Her sister was pronounced dead at the scene. Merri walked over to where the car was. Emily was standing on the side of the road covered in her own blood. "I thought you were dead!", Merri said in disbelief. "It's okay, I am. You almost dead too. Only a little while longer and we'll be together...forever...and ever...and ever...", Emily's voice slowly melted away, leaving Merri by the road. She watched as the stretcher carried away her sister's lifeless corpse._

"We need to get her fever down now! Anything cold! Anything at all!", Loretta screamed as she wiped the sweat off the agent who was completely freaking out on them. The team was desperately trying to pull her back to the real world, while she was desperately fighting for her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, thanks for reading and reviewing, it really helps. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and if anybody wants to suggest something for this story, or even for another story, I'd be thrilled to write them! Enjoy :)**

"I got something!", the co-pilot yelled as he rushed back to where they were sitting. "I hope this helps.", He said as he handed a bottle of water and a washcloth back to them.

"Thank you!", Loretta said as she opened the cap and poured the water on the washcloth and wiped Brody's face and neck.

The female agent started blinking rapidly trying to wake up from the terrible illusions that were consuming her mind and clouding her judgement of what is real and fake.

"I- No- Emily No!" She started panting and thrashing around.

"Come on Merri, wake up.", Loretta said is a kind yet commanding voice.

Brody let out a few whimpers and her brow furrowed as she started to wake up. Her eyes then shot open and she was panting hard. Her hand clasped over her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to compose herself.

"It's okay. It's okay." Loretta soothed as she ran her fingers through the female agent's hair, much like a mother would do to a sick child.

"Emily...", Brody said in a flat tone.

"It wasn't real, honey. ", Loretta said, looking at LaSalle and Pride.

Brody squeezed her eyes shut fighting back the waves of emotion that were threatening to take over her.

"Do ya wanna talk about it?",LaSalle asked as he sat down beside the female agent who was laying down on the seat.

"No" she stated coldly. She felt the burning sensation in her eyes and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying. "No" she stated again weakly.

"Okay, it's okay.", LaSalle said smiling at her.

"Why don't we get you sitting up again Merri?", Loretta said. "It would probably be better for your stomach."

"Okay.", Brody groaned.

Loretta took one of her shoulders and LaSalle took the other and they slowly eased her up into a sitting position. A pathetic whimper escaped from her lips and she leaned herself forward in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. A huge pool of blood stained the seat where she was laying.

Pride quickly jumped up from his seat and rushed up to the pilot.

"How long till we get home?"

"2 and a half hours sir"

"Is there any way you can get this plane home faster? I don't care how much you have to speed, there is a wounded agent back there!"

"In that case we'll be able to make it in about 2 hours."

"Thank you so much.", Pride said as he went back and sat down.

"Hey guys. Bout 2 hours left. Hang in there."

Brody closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. "I'm...So...tired."

"Hey, no, don't go to sleep. You need to stay awake okay?", Pride said to the deathly pale agent.

"Why don't we talk...hmm..what's your favorite thing to do in New Orleans?", LaSalle asked.

"I...I...like chasing down bad guys."

"Good, good. Me too.", LaSalle said flashing his famous grin.

"What's your best childhood memory?", Loretta asked.

"Climbing trees with Emily. We were out in the woods and I got stuck. She...She wouldn't help me down and then the limb broke.", Brody said, weakly smiling.

"Did ya get hurt?", LaSalle asked, encouraging her to go on.

"I broke my arm."

"How old were you?", Pride asked.

"14", she said as she leaned her head back.

"And..Um..that's your favorite memory?", LaSalle asked.

"Yeah, I got to stay home for 2 weeks. Emily stayed with me while my parents worked. We snuck out and did more stupid things.", Brody said, laughing a little.

* * *

"About 20 more minutes. We are now flying over the border of the great state of Lousiana.", Pride said.

LaSalle looked over at Brody, she was leaning against Loretta. The older woman was rubbing Merri's back.

Hey Merri? Merri? Wake up. Merri?!"

Fear filled all three of their eyes. Loretta quickly felt for a pulse.

"It's weak, but still there."

* * *

They landed with a jolt. Causing Merri to wake up. She looked around the plane and saw her co-workers all staring at her.

Pride jumped up and pulled open the doors. Loretta and LaSalle helped Brody to her feet. She groaned as the pain in her stomach caused her to fall to her knees.

LaSalle quickly picked her up and carried her out into the hot summer air of New Orleans.

"Some one call 911!", LaSalle said as he sank to his knees with her still in his arms.

 **Hey guys, thanks for reading. Sorry that this chapter was kinda boring. I had to get in all the details for the next chapter to work out. Please tell me what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

The ambulance sped in the lot and carefully pulled up to where they were sitting.

The men unloaded the stretcher and gently put the female agent's unconscious body on it. They then put her inside while a few female EMS staff jumped in the back with her. The men then rushed up to the front, got in, and drove away.

LaSalle stood there watching as they took her away. They were all standing, unable to do anything other than watch it drive away when they heard a horn from behind them.

Sebastian pulled up with his shades on and rolled his window down. "Get in.", He said with a level of urgency in his voice.

The team then piled in the car and buckled up.

"What happened? Is she going to be okay? How long has this been going on? Why didn't anyone call me?-", Sebastian rambled and was cut off.

"Whoa! Slow down, first of all how did you know?" Pride asked.

"The copilot." Sebastian stated. "He called me about 5 minutes before you landed. Now, what about Brody!" He asked, getting rather impatient.

Pride looked over at LaSalle. He decided to sum it up the best way possible. "Apparently she was bleeding internally then when we went overseas we were thrown in a pit in the desert and then I had to cut open her stomach to drain the blood. We were then stumbling around the desert with bombs going off when Pride and Loretta found us. Then she had this freaky dream about her sister taking her to heaven and then she started hallucinating.", LaSalle stated.

"Bleeding internally? Why? How?", Sebastian asked.

"That fight she got into at the docks must've caused it.", Pride said.

"Is she going to be okay?", Sebastian asked.

"We don't know for sure, she wasn't doing very well in the helicopter.", Loretta said sadly.

* * *

The ambulance arrived at the hospital followed by the car full of agents. The EMS quickly unloaded Brody and rushed her in. Pride and LaSalle flashed their badges, allowing the rest of the team to come in.

A doctor met the stretcher in the hall and he checked her vitals and external injuries on the way down the hall. They attracted her to a machine that calculated her heart rate, which was extremely low. As they were running her down the hall, she flatlined. The calm and collected staff alerted the surgery room of her condition as the doctor hopped up on the bed and manually did CPR on the literally lifeless agent.

The rest of the team watched in horror as they rushed her back to the surgery room that they were not allowed to enter.

* * *

 _Brody watched her body getting whisked away on the hospital bed. She stood in a state of confusion._

 _"What's going on?", She said aloud to herself._

 _She walked by a group of nurses. "Excuse me? Can someone tell me what I'm doing here?"_

 _The group of nurses walked by her, remaining unnoticed by the world._

 _"Does anybody hear me!?", Brody yelled._

 _Still no one even bothered to look up or even acknowledge her presence._

 _She saw a woman who looked to be about 10 years older than her. This woman saw her and walked towards her. She had a large gash in her forehead and a gunshot wound that looked like it might've gone clear through her head._

 _"Can you hear me?", Brody asked._

 _"Yes sweetie, you seem to be a bit confused.", the woman said._

 _"Well yes actually I am. Why is no one paying any attention to me? They act like I'm not even here."_

 _"That's because in their world you're not here. You're dead honey.", the woman said warmly._

 _"But...but...but...I don't feel dead. Why am I not in heaven?"_

 _"They're still trying to save you. You're on a ventilator right now that's breathing for you. I've been like that for a few days now, what they don't get is that I don't want to go back. Oh well, they'll figure it out soon enough."_

 _"Oh...Um...well thank you for all the help.", Brody stammered._

 _"No problem.", the woman said as she walked back into her room where her body laid._

 _Brody walked towards the waiting room. Tears glistened in her eyes as she made her way down the hall. She stopped before the heavy wooden door and wondered if she could walk through it like in the movies. While she was debating on whether or not to try it a woman opened it and Brody slipped through._

 _LaSalle, Pride, Sebastian, and Loretta all sat nervously on the edge of their chairs eagerly awaiting any news about their fellow agent. Brody sat beside them and waited with them. After all, she didn't know what was going on either._

 _After a few moments of staring at her partners, a strange feeling swept over her. Intense pain engulfed her abdomen and everything went black._

 _"Just open your eyes, it's not that hard!", Merri commanded herself. Finally after minutes of trying she opened her eyes..._

 **Please review, sorry it took so long! Any ideas on any other stories would be greatly appreciated also.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews. A huge thank-you to grannyshirly05 and ncisneworleanslover for all the reviews and suggestions! I'm really trying to make this story good so suggestions are welcome. Enjoy :)**

Brody's eyes shot open, her breathing was labored. She glanced around the room looking for LaSalle,Pride, or Loretta. The heart monitor started beeping faster which gained the attention of a nurse that Brody didn't notice before.

"Hey sweetie, glad you're awake. Just calm down and I'll get some pain medicine and notify your friends that you're awake.", She smiled warmly as she walked out of the room.

A few moments later LaSalle, Pride, Loretta, and Sebastian came in and surrounded her bed.

"Hey.", Brody said weakly.

"Oh my, I'm so glad you're okay don't ever do that to us again. Not that you could help it...or that you would even want to. But if you did ever have a choice...-"

"Sebastian! Let the poor girl speak!", Pride said a he suppressed a laugh and tried to look stern. Heck, he didn't care, his family was gonna be okay and he was glad.

Brody laughed lightly which caused the pain to radiate through her stomach once again. She took a deep breath and gazed at all her friends faces. She was so happy to be alive.

LaSalle took her hand and gently stroked her fingers with his thumb. He looked down at her, looking almost afraid that he would do something wrong, something that could possibly hurt her and lead to her death. No matter how much he wanted to kiss her and hold her, he knew he couldn't. Maybe someday.

"Sorry to interrupt the party, but I have some pain medicine for Agent Meredith Brody.", the nurse said cheerily. The brown-haired nurse attached the bag to the IV pump and let it slowly drain into her body. "She'll be asleep in a few minutes."

"Well, I'll be right here tomorrow Merri.", Loretta said as she bent down and ever so carefully hugged the injured agent.

"I guess I better go too. I'll bring in my Star Wars movies tomorrow and we can watch them all.", Sebastian smiled as he hugged her.

"That sounds great Sebastian.", Brody said.

Loretta walked out of the room followed by Sebastian. Leaving only Pride, LaSalle, and Brody in the room.

"I'm so glad our little family is back together.", Pride said smiling.

LaSalle and Brody smiled and finally relaxed. Everything was going to be okay.

Pride's cell phone started ringing and he looked down at it.

"Who's that King?", LaSalle asked.

"Borin.", Pride said.

"We got a new case?", Brody questioned.

"No, I was supposed to meet her for dinner before we got held back overseas. Not very many people know that this even happened."

"Aww King has a hot date with Borin!", LaSalle exclaimed as he laughed.

"I'd rather stay here with you.", Pride said.

"Pride go!", Brody said smiling. "I'll be here when you get back"

Pride got up and kissed Brody's cheek and hugged LaSalle. "You guys are great!", He then picked up his jacket and walked out the door.

* * *

Pride walked up to Borin's door and knocked. She met him at the door in a pale pink sundress.

"You look beautiful.", Pride said.

"You don't look too bad yourself.", Borin said playfully.

"So where are we going?", Borin asked.

"I was thinkin I could cook for ya."

"Well that sounds even better."

"Now you go sit down and relax and I'll cook.", Pride said as he guided her to the couch.

Pride came out later holding a tray with two plates full of his famous gumbo.

"Mmm this is wonderful Dwayne!", Borin said as she ate another spoonful.

After a few minutes of silent eating, they both finished their plates. Borin stood up and grabbed both plates and took them to the kitchen. Pride followed her in. "Go sit down, I said I'd cook so that means I do the dishes too."

"Well what can I do?", Borin asked.

"Kissin the cook would be nice.", Pride said.

Borin kissed him passionately. "How long are we gonna keep this a secret?", She whispered.

"Just a little bit longer. I don't want any interference.", Pride said smiling and kissing her again.

"Works for me.", She said.

* * *

"You can go to sleep Brody, I know you are tired and all. You've been trying to stay awake for the last hour.", LaSalle said as he brushed a piece of hair away from her face.

LaSalle took her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it. "I don't ever wanna lose you Merri. Promise me you'll never scare me like that again.", LaSalle said staring into her big brown eyes.

"I promise Chris.", She said as she let her eyes shut.

"You're a hell of a woman Brody. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow", LaSalle said to the sleeping agent as he walked out of her room.

THE END

 **Thank you all so much! I hope you all are okay with the ending. If you have any suggestions for future stories please share. You guys are so awesome! Thanks for reading.**


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